Our communications challenge was clear - get car owners trying and buying Febreze Car Vent by proving product efficacy, whilst staying true to Febreze's witty and ingenious brand personality.

Research revealed that even though Brits spend 10 hours a week in a car, we don't consider the way our cars smell...until someone else gets in. This insight fuelled our campaign idea and inspired us to put consumers in the driver's seat and put the product to the ultimate torture test. We sent 3 intrepid Brits on a 'Road Trip from Smell' -- a cross-continental journey that would put Febreze to the test through a series of pungent challenges (ranging from transporting farm animals to serving fast food to carrying the kit from the Mud Olympics) -- and then invited some highly discerning passengers to judge whether Febreze succeeded in keeping the car fresh.

Consumers could follow along through a series of webisodes that captured the road trip and all the smelly challenges along the way. For those viewers who remained skeptics, upon the drivers' return to Europe, we opened the car doors (literally) and invited the public to put Febreze to sniff test and determine for themselves whether it works.

PR elements included a targeted media relations plan, amplification through multiple influencers, an ‘always on’ social publishing model and stringent crisis preparedness.

The result? >500 million earned impressions, >3.8 million video views (incl. YT ads) and significant business impact. We call that the sweet smell of success.

1. The public was invited to enter to become one of the drivers

2. Survey findings, e.g. 57% would refuse a second date with someone with a whiffy car

3. Launched at Goodwood's Festival of Speed; celebrity Denise Van Outen waved the chequered flag, the drivers started their journey with Goodwood's 'Hill Climb'. Media, bloggers, consumers saw the science behind the smell from Febreze's R&D

4. VLogger Ben Brown joined the drivers, developing his own content driving the campaign URL

5. Heading across Europe, they undertook aromatic challenges trying to keep the car fresh with Febreze - judged by unexpected passengers. Viewers followed them online, communicating with them through Twitter

6. An event welcomed them home - Denise Van Outen and the public were the ultimate freshness judges

Planning from Feb 2013 - June 2014. Road trip took place 26 June - 22 July, with content pushed for 3m after.

Overall impressions 632 million (including approx 500 million earned)

Total number of views to date (incl. YT ads) has exceeded 3.8 million.